Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Ariana
It was about four o’clock when my phone dinged with a text message from Luca.
“Your workday is over. Meet me outside.”
“For?”
“Furniture shopping.”
I grabbed my purse and stopped by Olivia’s cubicle on my way out.
“I’m leaving for the day. I’ll see you later.”
“Already? It’s only four o’clock.”
“Luca is downstairs waiting for me. We’re going furniture shopping.”
“Okay. That’s weird, Ari.” She frowned.
“He wanted to go with me.” I shrugged.
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you later. Have fun, but not too much fun.”
I smiled as I walked away and climbed into the back of the Bentley where Luca was waiting.
“How did it go with the D.A.?”
“That woman is a bitch and has it out for me. She doesn’t see anything that convinced her that Violet Cole could have murdered my client’s wife.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“I know. So now I’m going to have to get the jury to see that she could have been the one who killed Mrs. Michaels with her jealousy. Give them reasonable doubt.”
“You’re calling her as a witness?”
“She’s already on the witness list for the prosecutor. They want her testimony saying that she saw Mrs. Michaels and Stephan at the bar on several occasions.”
We walked through the furniture store that displayed some of the most beautiful furniture I’d ever seen. Way too pricey for my budget, which wasn’t surprising.
“I’m just going to go to a clearance outlet,” I spoke as we left the store.
“When are you getting your keys?” he asked.
“Sunday.”
“Why don’t you wait until Sunday, assess your apartment first to figure out what you can actually fit in it, and then I’ll go with you to the clearance outlet. I’ll have a truck on standby to load everything you purchase and take it over to your place.”
“That’s nice of you, Luca, but you’ve done enough already.”
“Nonsense. Now let’s go grab some dinner. I’m starving and in desperate need of a drink.”
He’d helped me too much already. It was all he had done since the first day I met him. I didn’t want to admit it, but there was something there. I felt comfortable with him, and a part of me felt safe. When I was with him, I didn’t think about my family. He made me forget about everything bad in my life. He was fun to be around, and I enjoyed his company. He made me laugh, and he made me feel comfortable in my own skin when I no longer felt it because of the betrayal of my family. I found myself thinking about him when we weren’t together, when I’d lie in bed at night and couldn’t fall asleep.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” he spoke as he sipped his scotch.
“What is it?”
“I’m giving you all next week off. With pay, of course.”
“Why?” I narrowed my eye at him.
“Because the bar exam is next Thursday and Friday, and I want you to settle into your apartment and study for it.”
“I’ll be fine, Luca.”
“I have no doubt in my mind you will be. But you’re going to amuse me and study for the exam. I don’t want you focusing on anything else.”
“Fine. I’ll take the week and study.”
“Good girl.” He smiled.
After a nice dinner, Luca drove me back to my apartment building and walked me to my door.
“Do you want to come in?” I asked with the hope he’d say yes.
He brought his hand to my cheek and softly stroked it.
“I should get home. Plus, it would be kind of weird seeing Olivia and Harry.”
“Okay. Thank you for going furniture shopping with me, and thank you for dinner.”
His eyes were fixated on mine as his hand made one last stroke down my cheek.
“You’re welcome. Have a good night.” He tenderly smiled.
“You too.”
I waited for his lips to brush against mine. Even a trace of a kiss on my cheek would have been acceptable. But he didn’t. He turned around and headed towards the elevators with his hands tucked into his pockets. The fire that engulfed me down below was a constant flame that erupted each time he was near me. He wanted me. I could see it in his eyes and felt it in how he would touch the small of my back with his hand. The same hand that gently caressed my cheek. Thoughts of what those hands could do to other areas of my body invaded my mind.
Upon opening the door, Olivia jumped up from the couch.
“I need to talk to you,” she spoke with an urgency in her voice.
“Okay.” She followed me to my bedroom and shut the door.
“Julia called me earlier.”
“WHAT?!” I threw my purse on the bed and looked at her.
“I didn’t want to interrupt your date with Luca, so that’s why I waited until you got home to tell you.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I sat on the bed and clutched the comforter with my fingers.
“How did she get your number?”
“How does one get anybody’s phone number nowadays?” She took a seat next to me.
“What did she want?”
“She asked if I had heard from you. I told her no, of course. And then I asked her why she was asking.”
“And?” I looked over at her.
“She just said you took off, and they haven’t been able to contact you, and the family is worried. She said she knew it was a long shot but had to call anyway. She also said they knew you flew to New Jersey, so maybe you’d be coming to see me.”
“Great.” I got up from the bed and paced the room. “So they are searching for me.”
“Ari, do you blame them? They love you, and they’re worried sick.”
I whipped my head around and pointed my finger at her.
“No. If they loved me, they would have told me and not pretended to be something they weren’t. They fucked with my life, Olivia. And if I hadn’t stumbled in on that conversation, they never would have told me, and that’s just fucked up!” I shouted with tears in my eyes.
“I know it is, sweetie.” She got up from the bed and wrapped her arms around me. “But they’re still your family, your blood, and they’re worried about you. Imagine being in their shoes.”
“I would never be in their shoes.” I broke our embrace. “I never would have done what they did.”
“How did furniture shopping go?” she asked to calm me down.
“Luca took me to a really expensive store, which was way out of my budget. After I get my keys on Sunday, I’m going to the clearance outlet. It’s all I can afford right now.”
“Look on the bright side. After you pass the bar and start working as a lawyer for the firm, you’ll be raking in the dough.” She smiled. “Do me a favor?”
“What?”
“Just call your family so they can hear that you’re okay. Maybe if they hear your voice, they’ll accept the fact that you’re not coming back. I’m heading to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” She gently smiled as she patted my shoulder.
After changing into my nightshirt and climbing into bed, I picked up my phone from the nightstand and pulled up Luca’s number. I knew it was late, but I just needed to hear his voice.
“Ariana, is everything okay?” he answered.
“Yeah,” I spoke in a soft voice. “I just wanted to thank you again for everything you’ve done for me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Okay. I just wanted to tell you that. Good night, Luca.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again.
“Is anybody ever really okay? But I’m fine.”
“Good night, Ariana.”
“Night.”
After ending the call, I sank into my covers and took in a deep breath. I would call my family after I settled into my new place.